1994: Starting with unpaid leave

Chapter 175 A Two-Courtyard House (Combined)

Dong Jianguo held Li Wan's hand as they wandered through the winding alleyways of Beijing.

It was a strange feeling. Although all around were gray brick and tile bungalows that looked pretty much the same, Dong Jianguo walked with unusual determination.

These days, I occasionally wander around outside the guesthouse, and I have a more accurate memory of the terrain and housing prices in this area than the locals do.

He remembered clearly that near Qianmen, there was an excellent two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), which was being sold at a low price because the owner was in a hurry to go abroad.

After walking for about thirty minutes, the two turned into a quiet alley.

This alleyway was more spacious than the places I had passed before, and there were several old men squatting under the walls on both sides, sunbathing.

Dong Jianguo stopped in front of a bright, weathered gate.

Although the gate has some paint peeling and shows the vicissitudes of time, the stone lions on the gate piers are carved lifelike, and the brick carvings on the lintel are also very exquisite. It is clear that this is not an ordinary family's home.

"This is it."

Dong Jianguo took a deep breath, stepped forward, and knocked on the door knocker.

Who is it?

After a long while, a hoarse, somewhat impatient male voice came from inside the door.

With a creak, the door opened a crack.

A thin, middle-aged man with messy hair and a stubble beard poked his head out.

He was wearing a pilling gray sweater, his eyes were cloudy, and he smelled of alcohol.

Who are you looking for?

The man sized up the well-dressed young couple holding hands outside the door, his eyes filled with a hint of wariness and inferiority.

"Hello, I heard you're looking to sell your house?"

With a gentle smile, Dong Jianguo pulled out a pack of Hongtashan cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and offered it to him. "Brother, want to have a smoke and chat?"

The man's eyes flickered when he saw the Hongtashan cigarette. He took the cigarette, leaned over, and let Dong Jianguo light it for him.

After taking a deep breath, the craving for cigarettes seemed to be suppressed quite a bit, and his complexion also improved.

"Come in."

The man stepped aside, letting the two into the courtyard.

As soon as Li Wan entered the courtyard, she was stunned by the scene before her.

This doesn't look like a house for sale at all. It's more like a garbage dump than a yard.

The yard was overgrown with weeds, almost ankle-deep. In the corners, there were piles of discarded bicycle parts, broken tires, and all sorts of household garbage.

Startled, several stray cats darted out from the pile of debris.

But this cannot conceal the true nature of this courtyard.

The main house has three rooms, and there are two rooms each in the east and west wings. Although the covered corridor is dilapidated, the structure is still intact.

There is also an old jujube tree in the yard, with lush branches and leaves that shade half of the yard.

"See, this is it."

The man exhaled smoke rings, staring blankly at the courtyard. "This is a proper two-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), with antiques from the Qing Dynasty. If it weren't for—if I weren't in such a hurry to leave, this would be a family heirloom."

As Dong Jianguo listened, he quickly made calculations in his mind.

This house is in an excellent location, within the core protected area, so it won't be subject to future demolition.

Moreover, it has two courtyards, offering good privacy and ample space.

Most importantly, this place will definitely retain its value. In another ten years or so, this house will be worth hundreds of millions!

"Brother, how much are you planning to sell it for?" Dong Jianguo asked directly.

The man held up three fingers.

"Three hundred thousand?"

"Okay. Fixed price."

Upon hearing this, Li Wan was about to say "It's so cheap" when Dong Jianguo stopped her with a look.

Three hundred thousand yuan was indeed cheap for a two-courtyard siheyuan like this in Beijing in 1995.

"Brother, your price is really too 'reasonable'." Dong Jianguo smiled, not in a hurry to bargain, but asked in return, "May I ask where you're in such a hurry to go? Such a good house, you just want to give it up like that?"

Upon hearing this, the man's eyes instantly dimmed, and his eyes immediately reddened.

He plopped down on the doorstep, took a few more deep drags on his cigarette, and through the swirling smoke, his voice was thick with nasal consonant: "I'm going to America—"

"Don't laugh at me, but my wife used to keep saying she wanted to go abroad, that she could make a lot of money there! I sold everything I owned to raise money for her—"

"But she applied for skilled worker immigration last year and went there. It's been more than half a year since then, and I haven't heard from her at all—some people say she ran off with an American. I'm going to go there and drag her back!"

The man grew angrier as he spoke, and he devoured a whole Hongtashan cigarette in one gulp.

Dong Jianguo felt that this older brother was being cuckolded and couldn't help but sigh.

These kinds of things are not uncommon these days.

Driven by public opinion, girls from China who go abroad often have a thick, indelible filter of prejudice against foreigners, especially Americans.

Besides, they aren't as resilient as men. It's normal for them to have something happen with a foreigner they like while they're all alone in a foreign country.

It's just that those men who sold everything they owned to send their wives away are the ones who suffer the most.

As the man spoke, tears streamed down his face, mingling with the grime and leaving two deep lines.

"Brother, don't cry." Dong Jianguo handed over a tissue.

"Even if we can't find a sister-in-law, it's okay. We can just go to the US and find a foreign sister-in-law. We won't lose out!"

The man looked up at Dong Jianguo, grinned, and gave a smile that was more like a grimace: "Thanks for your kind words—"

Dong Jianguo reached out and patted him on the shoulder: "Brother, I'll buy this house!"

"Huh? You're really buying it?!"

"certainly!"

"Aren't you going to bargain?!"

"No, I feel that a man who faces fate head-on doesn't need to bargain—it's a man's dignity!"

After Dong Jianguo said that, the man felt embarrassed.

"Well then, brother." Dong Jianguo squatted down to meet his gaze, his tone becoming exceptionally sincere. "I'm a very honest person too. I see your house; although it's a bit dilapidated, it has a good foundation."

"But!" Dong Jianguo changed the subject, "I see you've had a tough time too. To win back your sister-in-law, you'll need to save that 300,000 yuan for travel expenses and settling-in funds, right?"

"So I have a condition."

Upon hearing this, the man not only didn't haggle but even added money, which flattered him greatly: "Brother, you—you say, what?"

condition?"

Dong Jianguo pointed to the weeds and trash in the yard: "This yard is too messy. You have to clean up all the trash and pull out all the weeds within two days, and tidy up the yard for me. Then, give me the keys, take the money, and happily go after your wife."

"this----"

The man was completely dumbfounded.

He originally thought the house would rot in his hands, or that he would have to beg and plead to sell it.

After all, who would want to spend tens of thousands of dollars to buy a pile of junk?

But this young man not only offered a high price, but also helped him solve the subsequent troubles.

"Brother, you—you saved my life!"

The man stood up excitedly, gripped Dong Jianguo's hand tightly, tears and snot streaming down his face, and exclaimed, "I promise! I promise!"

"Don't even mention two days, I can get it done for you in a day!"

"Okay, it's settled then."

Dong Jianguo pulled a notebook out of his bag, tore off a piece of paper, and quickly wrote down his pager number: "Brother, this is my contact information. Get back to me when you're done. We'll exchange money for goods."

I will never be ambiguous.

The man took the note as if it were a royal decree, and carefully tucked it into his pocket.

"Don't worry, bro! I'll clean it up perfectly for you!"

"You actually bought a house in Beijing?!"

After leaving the courtyard, Li Wan blinked her big eyes and looked at Dong Jianguo.

"Um."

"There aren't many restrictions on buying a house in Beijing now; as long as you have money, you can do it."

"We can also register our household registration, which will make it easier for Little Orange to go to school in Beijing in the future."

When Dong Jianguo brought up his daughter, Li Wan's eyes dimmed slightly.

But then she thought again, what she liked about Dong Jianguo was precisely his responsible and family-oriented nature!

If someone abandons their wife and children for a moment of pleasure, then there's nothing worth cherishing about them.

After thinking about it, she nodded: "You did the right thing. Sending a child to school is a big deal, you need to think it through as soon as possible —"

"Yes, that's right—I'll take you home first; I have other things to do at noon—"

"good----"

Li Wan nodded obediently, reached out and grasped Dong Jianguo's hand, her palm slightly firm, as if afraid of losing her grip on this man. The breeze from Beijing, carrying the rich aroma of mutton from Donglaishun, wafted towards her.

When Dong Jianguo pushed open the door, there were already about ten people sitting in the private room, and the noise was almost enough to lift the roof off.

"Oh my! Our great hero has arrived!"

Chen Zhiyong, who had sharp eyes, was the first to jump up. He was holding a glass of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) in his hand and staggered over to give Dong Jianguo a big bear hug.

"Jianguo, you've finally arrived! If you hadn't come, we would have thought you'd been bewitched by some vixen and no longer recognized your brothers!"

Dong Jianguo laughed and pushed him away, casually tidying up his wind-blown, "Aaron Kwok"-like hair: "Get lost, I just finished some personal business. How about it, didn't miss your farewell bar?"

"I didn't miss you! I've been waiting for you!" Chen Zhiyong put his arm around Dong Jianguo's shoulder and pulled him to his side.

The table was already filled with copper pots, mutton, sesame flatbreads, and several bottles of Red Star Erguotou that had already been opened.

The incident at the dance hall last night did not alienate these young entrepreneurs; on the contrary, it brought them closer together, like welded steel bars.

In this day and age, true brothers are those who can weather storms together.

"Jianguo, come, let me toast you first!"

A burly man with a full beard stood up, holding a wine glass. He was Zhang Haifeng, the "big brother" of the class. His family started out in the building materials business, and he was known for his generosity.

"Jianguo, with your skills, it's a real shame you're not in the movies! Come on, let's toast to Jianguo's skills!"

"Respect to Jianguo's skills!"

Everyone raised their glasses and started chattering away.

Dong Jianguo quickly stood up, picked up the wine glass in front of him, and the clear liquid in the glass swirled, reflecting his calm face.

"Brothers, everyone, you're all too kind of me." Dong Jianguo smiled, his voice not loud, but it filled the room.

The noise.

"We're classmates, we're brothers. Yesterday, I caused trouble for everyone!"

"Sigh, what a hassle. The three great bonds of life are studying together, fighting together, and doing gunfights together—no matter what, thanks to the founding of the nation, we've achieved two of them!"

Chen Zhiyong raised his glass and said.

Everyone in the room burst into laughter at these words.

"Hahaha! That's very insightful!"

"That's right! This is what they call 'studying together and fighting together'! Our relationship is rock solid!"

"Come on! To our unbreakable bond, cheers!"

"Dry!"

Everyone drank it all in one gulp.

The strong liquor went down their throats, its spiciness carrying a warm sensation that burned all the way down their esophagus to their stomachs, dispelling the chill of early spring in the capital and igniting the passion in the hearts of these young people.

After several rounds of drinks and five courses of food,

The initial excitement gradually turned into sadness at parting and anticipation for the future.

Chen Zhiyong wiped his mouth, took out a stack of crumpled documents from his pocket, and slammed them on the table.

"Gentlemen, let's not just focus on drinking. Now that we're all here, let's discuss that matter we were talking about earlier!"

Upon hearing this, everyone perked up.

"Zhiyong, which supermarket chain are you talking about?"

"That's right!" Chen Zhiyong slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming with shrewdness. "Jianguo, you should listen to this too."

He turned to Dong Jianguo, his expression turning serious: "Jianguo, I'm really interested in your 'Hezhiwei' distribution channels. Several of our classmates from Guangdong in this training program come from families that run small businesses and own a few shops. We've decided that instead of going it alone, we should expand and create a chain!"

"A chain?" Dong Jianguo raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! A chain!" Chen Zhiyong waved his arms excitedly. "I plan to go back to Shenzhen, close down my electronics business, and start a Wanjia supermarket! We'll set up the shelves and put your spicy strips, chicken feet, and all our Cantonese sausages and seafood on them!"

"As soon as I mentioned this idea, these guys thought it was a good idea too." Chen Zhiyong pointed to the students around him, "They..."

Some are in logistics, some are in real estate. We put our heads together and decided this was a lucrative business!

Dong Jianguo looked at Chen Zhiyong's face, which was flushed with excitement, and his heart stirred.

Wanjia Supermarket?

Why does this name sound so familiar?

and many more!

A flash of inspiration struck Dong Jianguo.

Could it be such a coincidence?!

In Dong Jianguo's memory from his previous life, in the mid-90s, a supermarket called "Wanjia" did indeed rise in Shenzhen. Later, it merged with Huaqiang and became a well-known commercial giant!

Could it be that...?

Dong Jianguo looked at Chen Zhiyong in front of him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

This kid, although he loves to brag and has been involved in "Big Flying," has a really sharp business sense!

"Zhiyong, your idea—" Dong Jianguo took a deep breath, his tone becoming more serious than ever before, "If this idea of ​​yours could really be pulled off, it would be a huge business!"

Having received Dong Jianguo's affirmation, Chen Zhiyong became even more smug: "That's right! How could the path I, Chen Zhiyong, have chosen be wrong? Jianguo, I've reserved shares for you! Your exclusive supply rights for 'Hezhiwei' must be kept for me!"

"No problem!" Dong Jianguo readily agreed. "Zhiyong, once your supermarket opens, you can pick any goods from my factory you like!"

"Good brother!"

The two exchanged a smile and clinked their glasses together.